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Glory days won't pass them by 07/17/2001 Glory days won't pass them by Senior
league players keep dreams alive CUTLINE;
Dennis Karp pitches for the Rochester Stars during a Senior Baseball League
game Sunday at Byron. Elizabeth Nida/ Post-Bulletin BYRON
-- Most baseball players claim to play for the love of the game. Truth
is, many play for the money, others play for the fame, while a dwindling
fraternity of players actually take the field for nothing more than fun. There
are seven teams in the Rochester area that fit the latter category. Welcome
to the Hiawatha Senior Baseball League, where (aging) grown men turn into
adolescents, where throwing around the horn is still one of life's simplest
pleasures and where merely coming in contact with a pitch often results in a
genuine grin. The
HSBL, in its 10th year of existence, is thriving with participants. With five
teams from Rochester and teams from Byron and Austin as well, the league is
filling a void that more competitive organized amateur baseball leagues could
not. In
the HSBL, 40-year-old players are the norm, not the exception. Most players
have full-time jobs, play baseball for nothing more than a hobby, and rarely
reveal by their facial expressions if their team has won or lost. It
almost appears the net result -- winning or losing -- hardly even matters. Go
figure. "It's
an alternative to softball," said Rochester Senior Stars manager Dale
Rohlfing, a chiropractor by day. "It's that love of baseball that keeps
them coming back.
They'll be here on Sunday because it's baseball. "We're
out here to have fun. We love baseball." And
it shows. "I
think this is kind of a little league for adults," said Dwight Boyum,
one of the founding fathers of the league. "It sounds funny, but this is
rec baseball at its purest level. If you love this game and want to play,
there will be a spot for you in this league." Boyum
helped the league evolve from its embryonic stages into a legitimate league
that sends representatives to national world series senior baseball
tournaments. He refuses to take any credit, re-routing accolades to every
player on all nine of the original teams, calling all of them co-founders
of the league. The
league started with nine teams in '92 and has since been reduced to seven. But
it still prospers. In fact, the only statistic carrying any relevance at all
has little to do with gate receipts (no charge for admission), concessions
(none available) or attendance figures. The
only number this league concerns itself with is participation. If
you want to play -- and if you're 28 years or older -- one of the seven teams
will no doubt be glad to have you. On
Sunday, Battey, Rohlfing and the rest of the Senior Stars were smoked by Byron. "We're
like the young Twins," Rohlfing mused. "Our team is taking our
lumps now, but in a year or two we'll be dealing out pain." Dealing
it or feeling it. Either
way, it doesn't matter. They
are playing baseball. For the love of the game. Troy
Young is a Post-Bulletin sports writer and writes a Tuesday column. He may be
reached at tyoung@postbulletin.com.
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